Check feeding apparatus



Oct. 23, 1951 M. BEYER CHECK FEEDING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1946 zlevemok Y l ATTORN EY Oct. 23, 1951 M. 1.. BEYQER 2,572,304

CHECK FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 8 I 66"" 1 rik- (3Q 64 5 1111 65 2 7 A92 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23,1951

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,572,304 CHECK FEEDING APPARATUS Millard L. Beyer, Hempstead, Y, assignor to The International Postal Supply, Company, Brooklyn, N.- Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application September 25, 1946, Serial No. 699,333

This invention relates to a device for photographing automatically bank checks and like objects.

A feature of the invention is the provision of an automatic arrangement for feeding checks, one at a time, in spaced relationship, from a bunch of checks to an automatic photographing apparatus.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of an automatic apparatus for handling checks which may include printing equipment, such as consecutive numbering and/or endorsing equipment. The invention also provides an apparatus for feeding checks, one at a time, into a cooperating photographicdevice whereby checks, consecutively numbered, and/or endorsed by the feeding apparatus are photographed together with the endorsements and the numbers printed thereon, in one operation.

Semi-automatic apparatus for photographing checks handled by banks is well known. The speed of such apparatus is limited to the rate at which checks can be manually inserted into the machine. The present invention provides a check actuated, cyclically operable, printing arrangement for printing required matter on checks, which separates and feeds the checks in spaced relation, through printing apparatus and into a photographic apparatus whereby the latter is operated automatically at a much faster rate than is possible. with known manual feeding arrang'ements.

Other objects and features of the invention will befound in the following description given with the aid of the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. l and Fig. 2 are respectively plan and elevational views of a check feeding apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, together with a schematic view of a photographic device coupled therewith;

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram;

Fig. 5 is a drawing showing the operation of a check separating device, and

Fig. 6 is a drawing. showing details of the printing mechanism and a check actuated trip device.

A check feeding arrangement isshown-in Fig. 1* wherein checks are fed along a guideway, automatically and in spaced relation. Details of the driving mechanism for the respective feeding rollers employed therein are omitted as it is" thought that the apparatus will be readily'under stood by those skilled in theart.

The feeding arrangement comprises a guide member [0 which cooperates: with a roller H 7 Claims; (01. 271-10) 2. driven in a counterclockwise direction, and directly to the left thereofis a pair of check sepa rating rollers l2 and I3 slightly spaced from each other. Roller ,I2 is provided with a guard memher i 4 having a slot in the lower edge thereof through which a small sector of the periphery of roller I2 extends. Rollers I2 and i3 revolve in a counterclockwise direction. With this arrangement, a bunch of checks, say fifty or so, maybe inserted between roller II and guide It]. The motion of roller II will propel the bunch toward theleft of the drawing where the lowermost check will bepropelled further toward the left by roller [3, while roller lZ which turns in the same direc .tion as roller H, in cooperation with its guard M, will fan out the adjacent ends of the remaining checks, as illustrated in Fig. 5. When the first check passes beyond adjacent surfaces of rollers i2 and I3, the check next above will be engaged by roller [3 and propelled to the left thereby, and this operation continues until the bunch of checks exhausted. r

The checks are guided from roller l3 along a guideway' [6 to a pair of feed rollers [8 and Hi, the latter" being rather narrow and engaging only the upper portion of the checks. All of the rollers so far mentioned are provided with substantial soft rubber surfaces for frictionally engaging the checks. Since the size of bank checks may vary considerably, the following arrangement insures the uniform feeding of checks spaced relationshipirrespective of their length. I

Directlyunderneath roller l9, and to the left of its shaft, as shown in Fig. 6 a trip" lever tongue 20' is disposed in the path'of'the' check so as to be'turned thereby on its fulcrum- 2| which is attached to one arm ll of a lever I 5 pivoted on apin 23 to a block 24whic h is part of a removable bracket 22. A spring and stop, not shown: tend to maintain leverf $5 in the position shown in the drawing. Lever 5, however, is turned by the checks in a clockwise direction on its pivot 23 after each actuation of trip tongue 20' which permits the'checks'to override the end of the trip tongue and the restoration of the stop mechanism', to be described, to eifectiv'e' position before the actuation check has moved clear of the trip tongue. Withv thisarrangement, oncetheleading edge of a check has operated the trip tongue 20', the trip tongue becomes ineifective' until the trailing edge of the actuating check has cleared the same and the trip tongue has moved'back to it's normal position" of rest in-the" path of the checks? Referring to-Fig. 6, the endof the trip tongue 20 has one end: of a link 25* pivoted thereto, the opposite end of the link being pivoted to a lever 26 which is mounted on a stud 21 fixed to the under surface of bracket 22. The opposite end of lever 26 which has a roller 28 pivoted thereto serves as a stop arm which controls an intermittently operable die for endorsing, and/or consecutively numbering checks as they pass along the guideway. The endorsing and numbering arrangement may be of the kind disclosed in the application of Ernest Persson, Ser. No. 656,883, filed March 25, 1946. This application shows an arrangement wherein a drum 30 having a die on its surface for printing endorsements or other matter, is also provided with a numbering mechanism for consecutively numbering the checks with each endorsement or other printing operation.

Drum 30 is driven from the source of power for. the device through a friction clutch, notshown."

The drum is controlled by a mechanism actuated by the trip tongue, now to be described, which releases the drum for one rotation each time the trip tongue is actuated by a check, and then stops the drum until the trip tongue is again actuated by the next following check.

On the top of the drum an arm 3! is mounted carrying a roller 32. Spring 33 attached to lever 26 is effective to yieldingly maintain the lever sopositioned that roller 28 is disposed in the path of roller 32 to arrest the drum 38. When a check passes between feed rollers I8 and 19 the trip tongue is tripped to one side by the check thereby rocking lever 26 and momentarily displacing the roller 28, at least partially out of the path of roller 32 releasing the drum for one revolution. A soft rubber roller 35 adjacent to drum 30 serves as a platen for the die and cooperates therewith in advancing the respective checks, while an ink roller 36, Fig. I, mounted on an adjustable support and engaging the surface of the die provides the necessary ink therefor.

An arm 39, Fig. 6, which is an actuating lever for a consecutive numbering mechanism enclosed within drum 30 is tripped with each revolution of the drum when the arm is brought into engagement with a stop 40. It is not thought necessary to show a consecutive numbering device herein in detail, as an arrangement suitable for high speed operation is fully disclosed in the above-mentioned application;

It will be understood from the foregoing that the invention provides an arrangement in which checks are fed one at a time rapidly and in spaced relationship irrespective of their length from a bunch of checks and endorsed and numbered consecutively. For these operations it is more convenient and practical to feed the checks longitudinally, than otherwise.

A pair of spaced guide plates 45 and 46 shown in Fig. 1, guide the check after passing between the die 38 and the platen roller 35 toward a transverse feeding apparatus which feeds the checks in a direction at right angles to that at which they have been fed by the apparatus just described. As pointed out above, it is easier and more efiicient to feed checks endwise through an endorsing and numbering apparatus, but when checks are to be photographed, it is preferable that the checks be positioned so that their longer dimension extends transversely of the film which results in a considerable saving in the amount of film used for each check. Hence, provision is made herein for feeding the checks edgewise into an automatic photographic apparatus.

The transverse feeding mechanism comprises a shaft 41, Fig. 3 driven from motor 48, Fig. 4, which drives through gears 49 and 58 a vertical shaft 58, Fig. 3, to which is fixed a roller 5|, Fig. 1, over which parallel belts 52 and 53 are looped, Fig. 3, one belt being above the other. The lower belt 53 passes around an idler roller 54 mounted on a bracket 55 whose position is adjustable to keep the belt taut. The upper belt 52 is about half the length of belt 53 and rides on an idler roller 56 provided with a large flange 51 whichis effective to engage the upper edges of the checks to keep them below the belts. Cooperating with belts 52 and 53 is a Wide belt 66, slightly spaced therefrom, and disposed at an angle thereto to form with the other belts an approximately V-shaped trough which is open at the bottom through which the checks drop. Belt 60 is mounted on rollers GI and 62. Roller 62 is an idler roller mounted in slanting position on an adjustable bracket 63 by which the belt is kept taut. Roller BI is mounted on a correspondingly slanting shaft 64 having a gear 65 thereon which meshes with a gear 66 fixed to the driven shaft 58. Roller 5! has a narrow flange 70 at the upper end thereof whose periphery is fiush with the outer surface of belt 52. A narrow idler pressure roller 1|, Figs. 1 and 3 rides on the flange and cooperates therewith to engage the upper edge portions of the checks to drive them forward into the V-shaped pocket formed by the belts. Pressure roller 1 l is mounted on a bracket 12. A stop member 13 mounted on an adjustable bracket 14 is disposed between the belts in the path of the checks to arrest the forward movement of the checks and thereby cause them to drop down between the belts. The open bottom trough formed by the belts just described loosely engages the checks when free of the various pressure rollers and tends to urge them to continue their horizontal movement momentarily until they strike stop 13 which will arrest their forward movement and the checks then drop down by gravity in a uniform edgewise direction through the opening in the bottom of the trough.

A vertical check feeding apparatus which may comprise a single belt is disposed below the horizontal belts just described. In a preferred form, the vertical check feeding apparatus comprises a pair of spaced horizontal rollers and 8f supported in a framework comprising vertical end members 82 and 83, Fig. 2. A belt 84, Fig. 3, is disposed over rollers 80 and 8|, one surface of the belt, that is the downward running surface, is disposed directly underneath the space between the belts 53 and 60. In Fig. 3, roller BI is shown as being mounted on a shaft 85 which turns in the upright members 82 and 83. As indicated by dotted lines, the shaft has a gear 86 fixed thereto which is driven by a gear 81 fixed to a shaft 88 which is actuated by any suitable mechanism, not shown, by motor 48.

Side plates 90 and 9| of the framework are disposed on opposite sides of belt 84. A plurality of light, thin, spring members 92 are secured at one edge, the upper edge, in spaced parallel relationship to side plate 9 I. The spring members are so formed that a portion thereof adjacent the lower edge rides lightly on the belt. While a plurality of spring members are shown formed of flat continuous strips, it will be understood that other spring arrangements might be used, for example each member 92 might be formed of a number of independent springs, or the members might be slotted to provide a combapropos s aped sprin havin a plurality or fingers en easi the belt... v

automatic check photographing device is positioned with its check receivin openin immediately underneath the ownward running surface of belt at. The photo raphic device may be of any suitable type, a number of which are commerc ally availabl A suitable arran ement is shown schematically in Fig. 3 where the reference character .95 indicates a guideway which operates with a roller 96 to receive checks presented edgewise thereto. As is well known in the art, such rollers are provided with means 11 as cords or spring actuated wires for holding checks on the surface thereof when photographed, the arrangement being such that the checks are automatically released from the roller after having been photographed. It will be also understood that the roller is provided with known check actuated means, not shown, for controlling the operation of a camera.

One form of a photographing device comprises a bracket 91 on which are mounted a number of light bulbs 98 for illuminating checks disposed on roller 95. A mask 99 is mounted on the bracket 91 which screens all but a narrow part of the check from the camera I00 which preferably is of the motion picture type, but which has no shutter, the lens aperture being normally open.

The film IOI is fed from a reel I02 to a reel I03 detachably mounted within the camera on spindles I04 and I05 respectively.

A lever I06 mounted on a pivot ID! has a roller I08 mounted on one end which rides against the film. Spring I09 attachedto the lever holds the roller against the film. The lever carries a contact I I0 which cooperates with a stationary contact III. The contacts are normally held open by the pressure of the film on roller I08, but should the film break or become exhausted, the spring I09 will cause the lever to turn on its pivot thereby closing the. contacts. The con-. tacts actuate a circuit, to be described, for stopping the machine.

A similar contact arrangement is provided for the film supply reel I02 which stops the machine automatically when the film thereon is nearly exhausted. This arrangement comprises a lever .5 supported on a pivot HE. A spring H1 attached to the lever maintains one end thereof in contact with the film on roller I02. The opposite end of the lever carries a contact II8 which cooperates with a stationary contact II 9. When the film is nearly exhausted on reel I02, the contacts close and actuate a circuit, to be described, for Stopping the device.

The narrow moving image of the check as it turns in front of mask 99 is projected by lens I20 onto the film as it is advanced by a suitable moving roller I2I which turns at a rate corresponding to that of roller 96 on which the check is temporarily mounted. It is not thought necessary to describe the mechanism of the camera in greater detail because such devices are commercially obtainable and generally well known.

A basic control circuit for the apparatus is shown in Fig. 4 which comprises conductors I25 and 1126 connected to opposite sides of a. suitable source of potential. Driving motors 48 and I2! for the check feeding and endorsing mechanism and the photographing portions of the device respectively,v are connected in parallel, one common terminal being connected to conductor I20. The other terminals of the motors are connected to conductor. I25 through a. suitable manually,

operable switch I28 and through the normally closed contacts I29 of a circuit breaker I30. The bank of lamps 98 may be connected in parallel with the motors as shown. With the circuit arrangement thus far described, when switch I28 is closed, both motors 48 and I2I will be actuated. It will be understood that the operating circuit for motor I21 and the bank of lights may be subject to further control by a known check actuated contact mechanism, not shown, which is operable in connection with roller 96.

The winding I3I of the electro-magnetic circuit breaker has one terminal connected directly to conductor I20 and the opposite terminals to fixed contacts :0 and I I9 associated with levers I06 and H5, the levers being connected to conductor I 25 through switch I28. If the film breaks, or is almost exhausted, contacts H8 and H9, or H0 and I I I will engagecompleting an energizing circuit'for coil l3l of circuit breaker I30 which will operate the same, turning olf both motors as well as; the lights until the film is again properly arranged in the camera.

The device operates as follows: On inserting a bunch of checks between roller II and guide I0, the checks are urged toward the left by roller 11 and the forward ends thereof brought into engagement with member I 4 where roller I2 fans the ends of the checks apart. Roller I3 feeds the lowermost check toward the left, and as, one check passes over roller It, the check next above comes into engagement therewith and is also fed toward the left of the machine. In this way checks are rapidly withdrawn one at a time in spaced relation from the bunch of. checks.

Cooperating pressure rollers I8 and. I9 feed the checks toward the left, and. the forward edge of each check actuates trip tongue lever 20 as it passes between these rollers which releases the cyclically operable endorsing die 30 which prints the desired matter on the checks.

Rollers 5| and TI continue to advance the respective checks, and on passing between these rollers, the belts 52, 53 and 60 cooperate to urge the checks forward somewhat beyond rollers 5| and II so that the checks will drop downward by ravity to be fed positively in an edgewise direction by belt 84 to the roller 96 of the camera where the checks are photographed in the known manner. The photographic apparatus indicated schematically in Fig. 3 is similar to the Recordak device which is commercially obtainable and well known to those skilled in the art and further description thereof is not believed necessary.

What is claimed:

1. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, means at the entrance of the conveyor including a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about respective vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at-a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them endwise across a vertical plane into the guldeway, means comprising cooperating rollers intermittently actuated by the respective checks for propelling the checks along the guideway in spaced relation, stop means disposed in spaced relation with the end of the guideway for arresting the movement of the checks, constantly driven belt means forming an open bottomed trough disposed beyond the guideway approximate co-alignment therewith into which the respectivechecks drop" one by one in an edgewise direction, on being arrested by the stop means, a further conveyor disposed below the trough for transporting the respective checks downward into the input of a photographic recording instrument comprising a constantly driven belt disposed to run in a vertical direction with its downward moving surface substantially in register with the open bottom of the trough, and means pressing against the belt for maintaining the respective checks in spaced relation thereon.

' 2. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, means at the entrance of the conveyor including a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about respective vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them endwise across a vertical plane into the guideway, means comprising cooperating rollers intermittently actuated by the respective checks for propelling the checks along the guideway in spaced relation, stop means disposed in spaced relation with the end of the guideway for arresting the movement of the checks, constantly driven belt means forming an open bottomed trough disposed beyond the guideway in approximate co-alignment therewith into' which the respective checks drop one by one in an edgewise direction, on being arrested by the stop means, a further conveyor disposed below the trough for transporting the respective checks downward into the input of a photographic recording instrument comprising a constantly driven belt disposed to run in a vertical direction with its downward moving surface substantially in register with the open bottom of the trough, and means comprising a plurality of fiat spring members disposed in stationary spaced relationship with the belt and pressing thereagainst for maintaining the respective checks in spaced relation on the belt.

' 3. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the'like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, means at the entrance of the conveyor including a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them in the direction of their length along a vertical plane into the guideway, intermittently operable means operated by the leading edges of the respective checks for propelling the checks along the guideway in spaced relation, a second conveyor for urging the checks to continue their movement momentarily in the direction imparted thereto by the first conveyor comprising a pair of spaced belts adapted to loosely engage the checks, a stop member disposed between the belts at a distance from the end of the first mentioned conveyor greater than the length of the checks effective to arrest the forward movement of the checks and cause them to drop by gravity through the space between the belts at right angles to the direction of movement of the belts, and further belt means disposed below the spaced belts for positively engaging and conveying the checks dropping therethrough.

- 4; Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to aphotographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, means at the entranceof the conveyor including a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them in the direction of their length along a vertical plane into the guideway, a trip tongue release member disposed along the guideway in the path of the checks to be displaced by the leading ends of the respective checks, intermittently operable means controlled by the trip tongue for propelling the checks along the guideway in spaced relation, a second conveyor disposed in approximate co-alignment with the first conveyor comprising a pair of spaced belts adapted to be engaged loosely by the respective checks tend-- ing to urge the checks to continue movement in the direction imparted by the first conveyor, a stop member disposed between the belts at a distance from the exit of the first mentioned conveyor greater than the length of the checks efiective to arrest the forward movement of the checks and cause them to drop by gravity through the space between the belts at right angles to the direction of movement of the belts and further belt means disposed below the space between the belts for positively engaging and conveying the checks dropped therethrough.

5. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, means at the entrance of the conveyor i cluding a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them respectively in the direction of their length along a vertical plane into the guideway, a trip tongue release member disposed in the guideway adapted to be displaced by the leading edges of the respective checks, intermittently operable drive roller means controlled by the trip tongue for propelling the checks along the guideway in spaced relation, a second conveyor disposed in approximate co-alignment with the exit of the I first mentioned conveyor for receiving checks therefrom comprising a pair of belts relatively spaced so as to loosely engage checks and urge them momentarily to continue in the direction in which they were fed by the first conveyor, means disposed between the belts for stopping the movement of the checks and causing them to drop by gravity in the direction of their width through the opening between the belts, and further belt means disposed below the opening for feeding the checks positively in the direction of their width.

6. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about vertical axes for extracting checks automatically one at a time from a bunch of manually held checks and propelling them respectively in the direction of their length along a vertical plane into the guideway, a trip tongue so disposed as to be actuated by the leading edges of checks moving along the guideway, intermittently operable printing roller means controlled by the trip tongue for propelling the checks in spaced relation along the guideway, a second conveyor disposed in co-alignment with the first conveyor for directing the checks momentarily in a horizontal path comprising a pair of belts relatively spaced so as to loosely engage portions of the surface of checks coming into contact therewith, a stop member disposed between the belts for arresting the movement of the checks and causing them to drop due to gravity through the space between the belts in the direction of their width, and means disposed under the belts for feeding the checks to a photographic device.

7. Apparatus for conveying bank checks and the like to a photographic recording instrument which comprises a first conveyor including a guideway, a pair of cooperating rollers constantly driven in the same direction about vertical axes for extracting checks one at a time from a bunch of checks and propelling them respectively along a vertical plane in the direction of their length into the guideway, intermittently operating print roller means effective to engage the checks and propel them in spaced relation along the guideway, a second conveyor disposed just beyond the first conveyor in approximate co-alignment therewith for directing the checks momentarily in the same direction as the guideway comprising a pair of spaced horizontal belts,

' arranged in slanting relation to form a trough,

a stop member disposed between the belts for arresting the forward movement of the checks and causing them to drop due to gravity between the belts in the direction of their width, a relatively wide conveyor belt disposed beneath the horizontal belts, and means cooperating therewith to positively convey the checks to a photographic device.

MILLARD L. BEYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

